Arab May Handoff Ambulance Service to Private Company

ARAB, Ala. (WHNT)– Arab Mayor Bob Joslin says he plans to improve ambulance service by getting the city out of the ambulance business. Joslin plans to ask the city council to approve handing the city’s ambulance service over to Samaritan Ambulance.

“We only have on ambulance on duty at a time,” Joslin says. “If we go to a wreck and we transport someone to either Cullman or Huntsville, we are out of business until the Ambulance comes back into town.”

WHNT News 19 received an email from a viewer worried that because Samaritan is based in Morgan City that would mean ambulances would have to come from a distance to respond to call. Joslin says this is not true.

“Really it’s a win win for the city of Arab,” says Joslin. “We will have better coverage. We will be able to respond faster because we will have two ambulances on board all the time rather than just one. If someone thinks that we aren’t going to have service here or has to come from Morgan City, that is totally not true.”

Joslin says the ambulances will be based in Arab at the fire station. The city council will likely vote on the measure in the coming weeks.